There are daily buses that connect Constanta with the rest of the country. There is a bus to [[Bucharest]] leaving every 45 minutes from the Railway Station (also called Autogara) [http://www.autogari.ro/Transport/Constanta-Bucuresti/207-643.aspx] that takes up to 3,5 hours and is less expensive than the train, but slower than the trains (see section below).

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There are daily buses that connect Constanta with the rest of the country. Throughout the day [[Bucharest]] bound busses leave Constanta every 45 minutes from the Railway Station (also called Autogara) [http://www.autogari.ro/Transport/Constanta-Bucuresti/207-643.aspx] that takes about 3,5 hours thanks to the newly constructed autobahn. Tickets costs RON 50-55, which is 10-15% less expensive than the train (see section below). Though busses are a bit more slower than the train they are clean and comfortable, and the newest ones have free WiFi on board which the train does not.

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There are also several daily buses leaving from [[Constanta]] to [[Istanbul]] from the Railway Station. The duration is less than 12 hours and the prices for 2011 are 200 RON (48 Euros) a return ticket, including 1 night accommodation in [[Istanbul]]. [http://www.ozlem.ro/servicii.html]

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There are as well buses to [[Thessaloniki]] in [[Greece]], [[Chisinau]] in [[Moldova]] and some buses to [[Varna]] in [[Bulgaria]]. One can also take a bus to Ostrov-Vama (5 Euros), which is a village near the border with [[Bulgaria]], cross the border and you are in Silistra, a town in Bulgaria. From there there are several connections to other Bulgarian cities such as [[Rousse]], [[Dobrich]], [[Sofia]] etc.

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There are also several daily buses leaving from [[Constanta]] to [[Istanbul]] from the Railway Station (when you exit the train station turn left and walk 200m). The duration is less than 12 hours including time spent crossing borders and the prices for 2011 are RON 200 (EUR 48) a return ticket, including 1 night accommodation in [[Istanbul]]. [http://www.ozlem.ro/servicii.html]

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Likewise, there are buses to [[Thessaloniki]] in [[Greece]], [[Chisinau]] in [[Moldova]] and some buses to [[Varna]] in [[Bulgaria]]. One can also take a bus to Ostrov-Vama (5 Euros), which is a village near the border with [[Bulgaria]], cross the border and you are in Silistra, a town in Bulgaria. From there there are several connections to other Bulgarian cities such as [[Rousse]], [[Dobrich]], [[Sofia]] etc.

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Frequent maxitaxis leave to resorts south of Constanta from the Railway Station (when you walk out of the train station turn right and continue about 200m).

===By train===

===By train===

Revision as of 12:07, 4 October 2011

Constanţa (prounounced Constantza) is a coastal Black Sea town in southern Dobruja, Romania, the second most important city in the country and, during summer, a beautiful touristic city. It is the capital of the Constanta county and Romania's largest seaport, a great city to begin to explore the wonders of the sea.

Understand

Constanta, being founded as a city almost 2600 years ago, is the oldest attested city in Romania, is the biggest port at the Black Sea (third largest in Europe) and and is also the third largest city in Romania with its 400,000 inhabitants. Constanta was founded by the Greeks as a port on the Black Sea Coast for trading with inland people and called Tomis (VIth c. BC). The city was renamed later after Constantina, niece of Constantine the Great (274-337). It was still a flourishing port city in the Xth and XIth centuries trading with the Byzantine Empire and the city of Genoa.

Get in

You can get to Constanta by land, air, and water.

By car

The most popular route is the Bucharest-Constanta A2 highway. The highway currently ends at the city of Cernavoda but it should be completed by 2013. There is a tax of 5 lei (1.1 EUR) to cross the bridge system over the Danube. In the summer of 2011 the Constanta Bypass was partially opened as a highway and also half of the Medgidia-Constanta highway. The Bypass and the Medgidia-Constanta highway are expected to be fully finished by November 2011.

The roads are good in Constanta compared to the rest of the country. But beware of speed bumps and speed traps in the center which are meant for reducing the speed of cars.

By bus

There are daily buses that connect Constanta with the rest of the country. Throughout the day Bucharest bound busses leave Constanta every 45 minutes from the Railway Station (also called Autogara) [3] that takes about 3,5 hours thanks to the newly constructed autobahn. Tickets costs RON 50-55, which is 10-15% less expensive than the train (see section below). Though busses are a bit more slower than the train they are clean and comfortable, and the newest ones have free WiFi on board which the train does not.

There are also several daily buses leaving from Constanta to Istanbul from the Railway Station (when you exit the train station turn left and walk 200m). The duration is less than 12 hours including time spent crossing borders and the prices for 2011 are RON 200 (EUR 48) a return ticket, including 1 night accommodation in Istanbul. [4]

Likewise, there are buses to Thessaloniki in Greece, Chisinau in Moldova and some buses to Varna in Bulgaria. One can also take a bus to Ostrov-Vama (5 Euros), which is a village near the border with Bulgaria, cross the border and you are in Silistra, a town in Bulgaria. From there there are several connections to other Bulgarian cities such as Rousse, Dobrich, Sofia etc.

Frequent maxitaxis leave to resorts south of Constanta from the Railway Station (when you walk out of the train station turn right and continue about 200m).

By train

Constanţa's train station has connections with the rest of the country. There are five daily trains to/from Bucharest during off-season and more trains in summer and the trip takes between 2.5-3 hours depending on the type of train. A second class ticket costs RON 61.60 as of September 2011. Most of the train connections from Constanţa are to Bucharest, which acts as the main railway hub for the region.

Starting from Constanţa train station seven daily trains serve destinations south of Constanţa, going as far as Mangalia. The earliest train heading to Mangalia departs at 06:30 and the last one at 19:03. The trip takes about 1hr20min.

For more information on trains and schedules check the website of Romanian Railways under http://www.infofer.ro/ Tel: 0040241666952

By plane

Constanta has an international airport called Mihail Kogalniceanu Intl. Airport[5] which is about 20 km north-west of the city. Ryanair flies to Constanta from Pisa 3 times a week.Starting with April 2011, there are also flights to Milano 2 times a week.
Romanian low cost carrier Blue Air began it's first flight to Brussels in July 2008 with a frequency of 1 flight per week.
Romanian carrier Carpatair offers flights to many European destinations from Constanta through Timisoara.

Get around

You can use the public transport system (buses, trams, trolleybuses and maxi-taxis) or cabs. To get to Mamaia you can take the 310 mini van called maxi-taxi for 2 RON (0,5euros) one way but it is very crowded. You can also take the special bus which takes you to Mamaia and has regular stops around the city and resort, it is a double decker buss and you can find it as you exit the train station in the bus station. The best option is a taxi; a legal taxi must be painted yellow and must have the fee written with green characters on the driver's door . Always insist on starting the meter and try to avoid the cabs with red tariffs right next to the train station who ,as in every major city, try to take advantage of tourists. Walk 100 meters from the station and only then wave to a cab. The typical fee from the train station to Mamaia is between 5-10 euros. You can also get to Mamaia by taking the 40 or 100 bus (3,5RON 2 trips ~ 0,8euros), but those two buses will leave you at the beginning of Mamaia.

Two public buses

See

Constanta has been continuously inhabited for 2500 years so there is a lot to see:

The old Casino and the surrounding promenade was opened in 1911. It was built in the Art Nouveau style and conceived by two architects, Petre Antonescu and Daniel Renard (of Swiss extraction but born in Romania).

Old Casino

The statue of Ovid (Born 43 BC in Sulmona, died in AD 17 in Tomis/ Constanta). The statue by Ettore Ferrari was erected in 1887 after a public subscription (the same statue can be seen in Sulmona). In AD 09 Ovid was sent in exile by Augustus for obscure reasons. He wrote his Tristia in Tomis.

The history museum is an interesting place with foreign language guides available. It houses a great deal of unique Greek and Roman statues and glassware which is very rare; also outside the museum there are some marble tombs and artifacts.

The Archaeological Park right in the center of the city is a nice place for a walk if you're in the area.

The Sea's Museum with the Genoese Lighthouse, behind the statue of Eminescu, on the sea front

The Harbor's Museum

The Ion Jalea Sculpture Museum, Arhiepiscopiei Street, 26. Ion Jalea Museum is arranged in a building built in the interwar period by architect C. Pariano in Brancoveanu style. Museum shows more than 120 donated works in bronze and plaster by artist Ion Jalea to his hometown.

The Great Mosque , a stone's throw from Ovidiu Square, was the first public building made of concrete in Romania (1910), a gift from King Carol I to the local Muslim community.

Do

Ship exiting the marina

Beach

You can do sunbathing or you can swim in the Black Sea. There is a large beach called Modern right in the middle of the city, which is favored by locals and is near the marina. Very very shallow waters (you can walk for 20-30 meters and the water won't pass your knees) so it's suited if you want to take your kids there and let them play safely in the water. The most significant beaches are in the Mamaia resort which is in the north part of Constanta. It consists of about 6-7 kilometers of sandy beaches with absolutely no rocks; the width of the beaches vary from 20 to 150 meters. It's also full of hotels, clubs and bars and extremely popular and fashionable in the summer. Moreover in the off season (September-April) they are a great place for taking pictures walks, or rides with the atv or enduro motorcycle and there are some centers for renting atv-s near the Cleopatra bar at the beginning of the resort. If you arrive by car not registered in the county of Constanta from May/June to September expect to pay an entrance fee of 3 Lei (1 dollar or 0,7 euros) at the entrance ticket booth for your car, although in 2006 the tax was off. The ratio of free parking/paid parking is around 25%/75% and the parking lots with the fee are guarded and not that expensive (3 Lei per hour) and a good alternative especially if you are on a motorcycle because people will climb your bike to take pictures on it. The paid parking places are marked with a white P on a blue background. The unpaid parking lots are on the sides of the main boulevard.

Walk

You can stroll the city's streets, the historical peninsular area which has a special charm, the sea coast, the Tomis marina or one of the many parks, on the lake-side or through the ruins of the ancient Greek colony Tomis.

Shopping

You can shop downtown, on the Ştefan cel Mare street where most big shopping centers are situated, including Tomis Mall (http://www.tomis.ro/), but also in the new, modern and bigger City Park Mall (http://www.city-park.ro/) - in Tabacarie Park. Another shopping center is TOM (Carrefour).

Eat

A typical meal at a restaurant is around 8-10 euro per person including drinks. Waiters usually know some English and menus are usually written in English. International cuisine is present, you should try the wines which are very good and not that expensive.

You will find a lot of fast food places selling kebab and shawarma (a nice mixture of grilled chicken, salads, french fries and sauces wrapped in a lipia (a sort of thin pancake used as a substitute for bread by Turks), very good and not that expensive (around 7 lei <1.8 euro> for a small one and 10 lei for a big one).

Drink

mindfluid breeze (mindfluid breeze), Str. Mircea cel Batran, Nr. 49 (above Modern Beach), ☎+40 747 897 518, [1]. Mindfluid Breeze is a bar, lounge bar. Nice to make a visit while in Constanta. Relax while sipping your favourite drink, cocktail, tea or espresso. The music will add to the atmosphere. The hotspot(free wireless) will keep you connected. Oh, you can enjoy the view of the Black Sea, too.+40 747 897 518. (44°10'41N,28°39'15E)

mindfluid (mindfluid), Str. Mihaileanu, Nr. 36 (1 km from center), ☎+40 747 897 518, [2]. 10PM to 1AM. Cool place especially if you want to enjoy a proper drink and choose from a wide selection, have fun with your friends or relax on the comfortable sofas with your girlfriend.(44°10'45N,28°38'32E)

Private Accommodation and Services

Stay safe

Constanţa is a pretty safe city even by European standards, but as a precaution avoid taking taxis near the train station and insist that they turn the meter on. If you visit the historical peninsular area at night, try to do this in a group. Unlike some other cities in Romania, people from Constanţa are well used to foreigners and are generally helpful. Walking at night is okay even alone, though you should avoid walking with your camera around your neck and be mindful of pick pockets when using public transportation. Your religion is not of concern since a lot of locals come from very different ethnic and religious backgrounds, but refrain from commenting on religious matters. Unlike Western Europe or the Middle East, the local Muslim population is pretty secular and don't have a problem with western culture or habits.

Stay away from dodgy small casinos and avoid exchange offices especially those located in Mamaia. They have hidden commission (written with small letters) or separate exchange rates for travel checks and cash. Use only trusted exchange offices, like Balkan Exchange. If you are unsure go to a bank, Your best bet is to exchange money at banks, which are located throughout the city. Although banks don't have good exchange rates, they are still better than the rip-offs).

As with Bucharest and other big cities in Romania your biggest safety concern could come from feral dogs. If confronted by a group of barking dogs don't loose your cool and back away since they are usually territorial and won't chase you. If they get too close, pretend you are picking a rock from the ground. Whatever you do, don't run.

Women will not be permitted access in churches or mosques if they wear short skirts.

Get out

to the south there are a string of summer resorts, Eforie Nord/sud, Costinesti, Neptun, Olimp. Neptun is recommended because it has a more relaxed atmosphere and for its lush forests that end near the sea. During the last NATO summit president Bush visited the resort for talks with President Basescu

Vama Veche to the south, close to the Bulgarian border is a former hippie/bohemian beach village turned into a commercial venture over the years but still one of the few places on the Romanian coast where camping is still hip (although in recent years there have been agents patrolling the beaches asking for a 10 lei fee from people they find at the tent. Just say it's not your tent and you'll go look for the person who's tent you are watching. They'll go bother someone else.).

Limanu cave near Mangalia is a 3,200 m long cave unique in Romania. The only way to reach it at the moment is by personal car. Entrance to the cave is closed off but there are some phone numbers on the door that will get you in touch with a guide. A good measure to keep the bat population happy and to keep the vandals out. Guide and entrance fee is 3 lei.